Besart will undergo several surgeries to repair facial damage

July 6, 1999
Web posted at: 4:57 p.m. EDT (2057 GMT)

SANTA BARBARA, California (CNN) -- Doctors said Tuesday that they can not save the right eye of Besart Ahmataj, a 12-year-old Kosovo boy brought to the United States for medical treatment after he was badly injured by a NATO bomb that exploded in his hometown.

The announcement was made at St. Francis Medical Center in Santa Barbara, California, after Besart underwent two hours of exploratory surgery to determine the extent of his severe facial injuries.

Eventually, doctors said, they will insert a prosthetic eye into Besart's restored eye socket. Additional reconstructive surgery on his face is also planned.

Dozens of ethnic Albanians, including Besart's mother, were killed in the May 14 bombing in the western Kosovo town of Korisa. The boy has not been told his mother is dead.

His sister, Lulietu, 19, who also was injured, underwent surgery on Monday to remove infected portions of bone in her right leg, which was fractured by shrapnel.

Correspondent Jennifer Auther contributed to this report.

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